We just wrapped our 6th Annual Red Oak User Conference in Austin, and we’re still energized by the community, conversations, and breakthroughs that filled the room. With this year’s theme—“Branching Out, Deepening Roots, and Expanding Horizons”—we leaned into what’s ahead for compliance and marketing teams while honoring the partnerships and principles that got us here. 

Over three packed days, we explored the future of connected compliance, introduced major platform innovations, and gathered valuable feedback that will shape what we build next. Here’s a look back at the moments, insights, and announcements we’re still talking about. 

A Milestone Announcement: Red Oak + 4U = Compliance Connectivity 

We were proud to officially unveil our acquisition of 4U, the industry’s premier platform for content distribution and engagement. With this move, Red Oak becomes the first Compliance Connectivity Platform, bridging the compliance-marketing gap from content creation through final distribution—removing inefficiencies and reducing time to approval. 

In our introductory session, CEO Dave Dutch and 4U Co-CEOs Arin Epstein and Denise Wypiszenski walked attendees through the strategy behind the acquisition. The message was clear: by uniting compliance automation with distribution insights, firms can move faster, reduce risk, and deliver compliant content to advisors and investors without bottlenecks. 

“Too often, marketing and compliance live in disconnected systems,” Epstein shared. “We’re solving that—so your teams can collaborate better, move faster, and scale smarter.” 

A Platform That Grows with You: Communications Supervision Suite Expansion 

We also debuted our expanded Communications Supervision Suite, now covering modern tools like Slack, Zoom, WhatsApp, iMessage, Bloomberg, and beyond.  

“Compliance today is about more than staying within the lines—it’s about understanding how people talk, collaborate, and share ideas in real time,” said CEO Dave Dutch. “We’re giving teams the tools to supervise without disrupting business flow.” 

Built on WORM-compliant archiving, integrated automation, and cross-channel workflows, these capabilities give compliance teams confidence and control in a multi-channel world. It’s not just about coverage—it’s about context, speed, and staying one step ahead. 

AI, Activated: From Theoretical to Tactical 

Artificial intelligence was a central theme across sessions, and we didn’t keep things hypothetical. 

We kicked off with a candid panel, “To AI or Not to AI,” featuring compliance leaders from leading financial services groups. Panelists explored what real adoption looks like in highly regulated environments, from customizing AI rulesets to managing expectations with regulators. 

Attendees then got a deep dive into our approach in “How Red Oak Is Approaching AI” with CTO Rick Grashel. Rick walked through Red Oak’s Agentic AI model, an ecosystem where different AI-powered agents (think: Disclosure Review, Lexicon Scan, Content Distribution) work together to complete tasks. “We’ve moved past speed dating with AI,” Rick said. “This is about building long-term relationships with transparency, accountability, and trust.” 

In our live AI Review demo, we showed how firms can configure their own prompts, apply policies, and run automated pre-reviews—all while keeping the power in the hands of business users. No black boxes. Just smarter, faster, auditable workflows. 

Keynotes That Moved Us 

General Robert Neller, 37th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps opened the conference with a call to lead with character, discipline, and grit, reminding us that the formula for success hasn’t changed: work hard, do your job, and lift others along the way. 

On day two, DCG Insight’s Chief Innovation Officer Rob Dearman delivered “Branching Out with Purpose,” spotlighting five disruptive forces shaping our industry: Predictive RegTech, Compliant AI, Unified Data, Hyper-Personalization, and Ops-Integrated Risk. He challenged us to think of compliance not as a backstop, but as a bridge to strategic growth. 

Client Voices, Real Solutions 

Panels like “Red Oak in Action” gave the spotlight to our clients, showcasing how they’re solving real-world compliance challenges using Red Oak’s platform. We heard firsthand from compliance leaders about how they’re evolving their website and social media supervision strategies, leveraging scalable lexicon reviews and AI-powered triage to stay ahead of risk in a digital-first world. 

Sessions on registration management drew strong engagement, as attendees explored smarter ways to automate licensing workflows and cut down on manual work. The interactive labs on disclosures and rule writing were also standout sessions, offering hands-on training and practical tools that attendees could immediately put into practice. 

One session that really stood out was the reporting panel, especially for Classic customers. Attendees shared how better reporting is helping them gain visibility, track key metrics, and present more compelling insights to leadership. For those who missed it, it was one of the most talked-about sessions of the event—and a reminder of just how much power lies in data-driven compliance. 

And of course, we had some fun with the Sticky Note Showdown, a high-energy session where compliance leaders reacted to crowd-sourced product ideas. Thanks to your input, several suggestions from last year are already live (pinned comments and disclosure export counts!), and more are on the way. 

This is your platform—together, we’re building what’s next. 

Community at the Center 

From breakout brainstorming to roundtable discussions and late-night conversations over brisket, this year’s User Conference was powered by the people in the room: our user community. You brought your toughest challenges, your biggest ideas, and your honest feedback. You shared what’s working, what’s not, and where you want to go next. 

We listened. And we’re taking that input straight into the roadmap. 

Whether it was watching your ideas come to life in the Sticky Note Showdown or collaborating on AI prompts in hands-on workshops, your voice shaped the conversations and innovations that defined this year’s event. If you joined us, thank you. You helped move the entire community forward. 

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going 

In case you missed the conference or want to invite your team into the continued conversation, we’ll be hosting a live webinar on May 29. We’ll explore how compliance teams are adapting to today’s evolving communication landscape, from off-channel supervision to multi-platform oversight. 

You’ll get a closer look at Red Oak’s expanded Communications Supervision Suite in action, plus hear from industry leaders on how they’re simplifying review processes, managing risk, and staying ahead of audit expectations. Register here. 

And as always, if there’s a session you’d like more detail on or a feature you want to explore, your Red Oak team is just a message away. 

Here’s to growing smarter, staying connected, and building the future of compliance together.